Ripple President predicts 2026 stablecoin revolution! Countdown to $1 trillion in assets on the chain

Ripple President Monica Long predicts that stablecoins will complete their historic transition from experimental pilots to full-scale production by 2026. Long expects that by the end of 2026, tokens and digital assets held on institutional balance sheets will exceed $1 trillion. As regulatory frameworks for stablecoins mature, enterprise B2B payment demands explode, and more than half of the top 50 banks worldwide will establish digital asset custody by 2026.

Why Ripple Chooses 2026 as the Turning Point for Stablecoins

Ripple’s choice of 2026 as the inaugural year for full-scale stablecoin production is not a random prediction but based on a comprehensive assessment of regulatory, technological, and market maturity. Long points out that recent initiatives by traditional payment giants indicate that stablecoins are being “hardwired” into existing systems. The launch of USDC merchant settlement by Visa and Stripe marks a turning point, as blockchain-based payment channels are being integrated into existing enterprise payment workflows rather than operating in parallel.

Ripple believes that 2026 is critical because three major transitions will be completed that year. First, regulatory frameworks such as the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) will be fully implemented before 2026, laying a legal foundation for a compliant stablecoin market. Second, corporate awareness of stablecoins will shift from viewing them as “experimental tools” to “necessary infrastructure.” Third, technological maturity will reach a critical point supporting large-scale commercial applications.

Long states, “By 2026, stablecoins will be integrated with the traditional financial system and fully embedded into the global payment network within the next five years.” She adds that cross-border payments are likely to be the first domain where stablecoins become the default settlement mechanism. This judgment is based on a deep understanding of current pain points in the payment system, where traditional cross-border payments typically take 3 to 5 business days, while stablecoins can settle in seconds.

Ripple’s forecast for 2026 also reflects the company’s strategic layout. As a leader in cross-border payment solutions, Ripple has been promoting the use of XRP and other digital assets in interbank settlements. Long’s prediction is essentially a public commitment to Ripple’s product roadmap, hinting that Ripple will launch more enterprise-grade solutions related to stablecoins before 2026.

Three Pillars Supporting the 2026 Stablecoin Boom

Ripple President Long emphasizes that although early stablecoin growth has been driven mainly by retail transactions and remittances, she expects enterprise-to-enterprise payments to lead the next phase of adoption in 2026 and beyond. B2B payments already account for most stablecoin liquidity, and Ripple believes this trend will accelerate as enterprises seek to improve efficiency.

In addition to speeding up settlement times, Long highlights the impact of stablecoins on corporate balance sheets by 2026. She estimates that €1.3 trillion in Europe remains trapped in accounts payable, accounts receivable, and inventory working capital. Ripple believes stablecoins could unlock this capital through real-time settlement and improved cash flow management. This unlocking is expected to reach a critical scale in 2026, driving more enterprises to adopt stablecoins as a standard payment tool.

Key Elements of the 2026 Stablecoin Ecosystem Predicted by Ripple

B2B Payment Dominance: Enterprise-to-enterprise payments will lead adoption, releasing €1.3 trillion in working capital trapped in accounts payable, receivable, and inventory

Banking Sector Entry: Over half of the top 50 banks worldwide will establish digital asset custody relationships by 2026

Regulatory Framework Maturity: Frameworks like MiCA will drive regulated banks to issue their own stablecoins before 2027

Integration with Traditional Payments: Giants like Visa and Stripe will embed stablecoins into existing payment flows rather than operate in parallel

Institutional Assets on Chain: By the end of 2026, tokenized assets on institutional balance sheets will exceed $1 trillion

Countdown to Institutional Entry and M&A Wave in 2026

Another major prediction Ripple makes for 2026 is the explosion of institutional mergers and acquisitions. As institutional interest grows, Long forecasts increased integration of crypto infrastructure, especially in custody services. Ripple believes that commoditization of custody services could trigger a new wave of M&A activity, as traditional banks, service providers, and crypto companies seek to accelerate their blockchain strategies.

Ripple expects that by 2026, more than half of the top 50 banks worldwide will have established at least one new digital asset custody relationship. This forecast is based on current strategic shifts in banking. Many large banks have begun experimenting with blockchain technology and digital asset custody, but most are still in proof-of-concept stages. Ripple sees 2026 as a critical year for these experiments to transition into full production systems.

Long also points out that looking beyond 2026, as enterprises pursue usability and scale, M&A activity in the crypto space will increasingly extend outside the industry. She states, “To attract the next billion users, especially institutional users, cryptocurrencies must become more user-friendly and break out of informational silos.” This perspective hints that in 2026, we may see traditional financial giants acquiring crypto infrastructure companies or crypto firms acquiring traditional payment processors.

Ripple also outlines the structural shifts expected in the crypto industry by 2026. Ripple predicts that cryptocurrencies will evolve from an alternative asset class into an operational layer of modern finance, with institutional holdings of tokenized and digital assets surpassing $1 trillion by the end of 2026. A key driver of this transformation is regulatory clarity. Ripple notes that frameworks like MiCA lay the legal groundwork for a compliant stablecoin market, and she expects that by 2027, banks and financial institutions in regulated regions will issue and hold their own regulated stablecoins.

For Ripple, the 2026 forecast is not just market analysis but a public declaration of company strategy. Ripple positions itself as a bridge connecting traditional finance and digital assets, and the stablecoin revolution of 2026 will be a pivotal moment for Ripple to demonstrate its value proposition.